Fleeting Fires
by ChocolateMilk2
Summary: Two ginger misfits are let loose on Johto plains one fateful summer...
1. Mahogany Madness

There wasn't a worse place for Axel Amarai to grow up in the whole of Johto than Mahogany town. It bragged historically high crime rates, one useless god-forsaken general store which had just about no neccessities you actually wanted and an intrinsic hatred for wireless internet.

Furthermore from a young age Axel was dragged out to pre-dawn fishing trips, driving up one long bumpy path in a car that reeked of bad tackle. Saddled with carrying a plethora of constantly tangled fishing rods in falling every which direction, Axel had to stand there in the butt-blistering cold listening to the same fat old guys drone about magikarps while his loser-ass dad told him how great life was.

"This is the life, just the peace of us and the black night sky. No stupid SS folks here to hassle us now are there? One day you'll see the red whopper riding the pre-dawn waves. Then you'll thank me for this, trust me kid."

The SS stood for Soul Society, the saintly title given to the original SS. Anne cruise liver which all the Johto and Kanto navymen were named for back in the early eighties. Their dad used to be a big part of it, along with their rich half-aunt Rukia, until their mum ran off with some pretty boy private sailor. Since then, Renji had harboured a deep grudge against the Soul Society and seamen with the name Eric.

Anyway, fishing with dad sucked. The only good thing about toughing the early morning hike was really that Axel's older brother Reno had to suffer the same fate along with him, squinting through sleep-deprived eyes complaining about how he could be curled up in a warm bed right then.

Then again, you didn't need an early morning to get him started, Reno complained about everything. Reno complained about the rancid cheeses the goat fed them and he complained about the woodlice munching through their walls at night and the puddles left by their pet Swinub, Moley. Reno also complained about obviously the best (and only good) thing about Mahogany town, Axel Aranai himself. Completely unfounded complaints, easily.

When Axel turned ten, Reno was still meandering about the house and skimping out on home school. He said it was out of pure laziness and lack of ambition, but Axel saw it for the underlying protectiveness he held for his family, misplaced as it might seem.

The thing was, Axel and Reno and Renji were all champion swordfighters. Renji had trained them how he was trained once they got old enough to stand on two feet, and often to not their hot tempers clashed through it. It was a common scene to find Reno and Renji battling with live blades over the dinnertable, Moley curled up in some discreet corner trembling. They were idiots, but impassioned ones, and the day Axel announced he was leaving for a pokemon adventure he was chased out of there guns blazing.

"Get back here, runt, I'm not done with you yet!" Renji cried after him, sword swinging wildly.

"You're too young to go on an adventure, Ax." Reno loudly accused. "I mean really, you still wet the bed."

Axel reddended to match his hair, eyes flicking to the chuckling angler beside him. "Shut up Reno, I mean I really don't."

"If you don't change your mind right now I'm going to spill all your secrets in front of the whole town!" It wasn't really a major threat as the whole town was only about three blocks long, but to Axel whose pride was already wounded by the first blow to his self-image staying to hear the redhead out wasn't top on his to do list.

Axel continued running, darting up and around a pine tree and then emerging, spitting out a mouthful of brambles. He gained speed, was thrust into the wide open, to halt. The guys would be just behind him. Where could he hide?

Axel's pathetic solution was behind the signpost that pointed them to the town square, as the other options, the cave entrance and a grassy plain, looked unnervingly Pokemon- infested.

Reno and Renji found him instantly. Axel was trapped, sharp object and spiky red hair thrust at either side of him, and he sighed, slumping against the post.

"Alright, alright," Axel said, raising his hands in a declaration of innocence. "It was a stupid idea. I know it was, okay? I give in already."

Reno huffed, and kneeled down. "Why didn't you tell us you wanted to become a trainer sooner, Ax? Then we could've got you a proper pokemon."

"Then we could've pre-paid your funeral expenses," Renji muttered.

Axel shrugged, and to his shame felt a lump in his throat forming. "I dunno. I didn't want to make it any different between us, I guess. Sorry for that."

"Sorry?" Reno snorted, leaning in. "You see this hair?" He tugged it- "oww." "Yeah. You're an Abarai, runt. And Abarais are never sorry."

Axel smoothed the rumpled hair back, averting his gaze downwards. "I'm not really an Abarai, Rene. I don't have the tattoos."

"The tatts? Is that's what this is about?" Renji validified. Axel just stared back.

Facial markings had been the pride of the Abarai clan men for centuries. It signified them as the most vicious of warriors, like blue tongues did for lizards, and they were traditionally awarded on the child's tenth birthday, the day they became a man.

But only the eldest child.

"Screw the tatts. You got us." Reno decided, and looked up to Renji for confirmation.

"Pah," their dad agreed.

"You hear that? Pah. Frivolities. Tatts, who needs em." Renji grabbed Axel's arm. "Now get up. If you really want to be a pokemon master and all that rot, we've got a great deal of crap to sort out."

"Like how you're going to get to Elm's lab without busting a limb first," Renji suggested haughtily.

"It's an awful long way," Reno confided in him. "Waste of time though, if you ask me. A hundred miles and all you get is an old dex, shitty starter and slap on the wrist telling you to be good."

"But everything's a waste of time if you ask you," Axel teased with a wobbly grin.

"Well it won't be if you ask about busting your ass into next Sunday. Who's the one with the killer weapon here?"

"Great job it did when you were trying to kill me with it," Axel argued, falling back into the swing of things.

"I wasn't trying to _kill _you with it, moron, just a bit of shock therapy."

"Shut up or I'm taking you both fishing," their dad threatened, sending them both into a wary silence.

By the time they got back to town everybody home knew that not only Axel Aranai was leaving on a Pokémon journey but importantly, that he was a bedwetter.

"I can get some more nappies sent in from the Goldenrod market if you like," offered the overbearing Mrs Tang as they stopped in for a cuppa. "It's useful, because I can claim them on my tax deduction."

"Thanks, but I don't think that'll be neccessary," declined dad Renji bravely. Reno slurped up some more tea to cover up his grin.

"Do you _really_ wet it too, Axel?" demanded the youngest child of the house, Noa, and Axel slumped further back into his seat.

Somehow or another, Axel got out of there with his egotism intact and they soldiered on home contemplating how well Axel would do as a trainer (or in Reno's terming, how long he'd last.) They decided that being a tough-spirited kid with a penchant for misadventure he might break a few limbs and have to retire indefinetly in Blackthorn for awhile but would survive the major misfortunes Mother Nature would bestow on him.

Axel was also informed that it was a stupid, dangerous life and he better keep his sword on him at all times if he liked his head on his shoulders.

They recommended Pokémon after Pokémon but Axel didn't sway on his decision for a fire type starter. "The thing is," dad Renji finally said. "Fire types are rare in these parts. They used to hunt them down for ruining all the farmers' crops. Besides which, it's just too cold here up North for them to want to settle. If you want a fire type, you're going to have to sail across to Ecruteak and scout for one around there, because the closest you'll find around Mahogany is Mareeps and Mankeys."

Axel hated to admit it, but he had a point. On that thinking, he persuaded his dad to call in a favor from one of the cargo shippers that brought stock in from over there and land him a free ride over. It was only a monthly trip they made though, so Axel had to wait a whole four weeks to begin his sudden Pokémon adventure.

This time they only chased him with the training foils. "You don't have to do this, y'know," repeated Reno to him as they watched the workmen load various crates off the ship for storefronts.

"But I want to," Axel said, readjusting his backpack. He'd packed it all the night before, and it was a much heavier weight on his shoulders than what he was used to. That canned food really added up.

His gaze fell to his shoes, the mail-order thick hiking boots Reno had bought back when they both wanted to join the Rangers. How old had they been then? Seven and Ten? Six and nine?

"I guess this is goodbye," Axel said as the seaman waved him onto the deck.

"Get out of here already," Renji growled thickly.

Reno grinned, and put up a hand in wave from the shore. "Get lost, moron. Get lost and have a really trippy time finding yourself," he called after them.

Axel stopped waving as they fell out of sight. "You got some interesting relos there, mate," grunted the seaman.

Slightly embarrassed Axel nodded to sit, resting up against the back motor seat. It was loud, and all there to do was really look out and watch the scenery. Axel'd forgotten how much he disliked sailing. He managed to hold down the motion sickness despite himself spending most the hour wondering which Pokémon he'd get. It was something that'd never truly occurred to him earlier, becoming a trainer, and the only real thing he'd known for sure was that if ever he became one he wanted fire pokemon. Maybe he could have an all-fire team, so that he could be a gym leader. Pryce was sort of getting on these days, wasn't he?

After fourty minutes or so of driving across water they reached a grassy island, and the driver told him they had to wait there until high tide, when the boat could cross. It did, after another thirty minutes of painstaking waiting and fifty more navigating after that they were at the Ecruteak shore, and Axel just about kissed the land he first treaded on.

He grabbed his stuff and helped the sailors drag the boat onshore.

"You'll be alright then, matey?" The seamen inquired, and Axel nodded his assent and wished them all well, hauling his backpack over his shoulders and marching off to reach the end of the route.

The end of the route guy stopped him and pulled him over for a chat, seeing he wasn't a trainer, and they had a good long talk about the merits of fire Pokémon and how Unova had these weird electric banners in all their rest houses. Axel waved him off after awhiling, saying he had brunch to eat (as he'd been up since six, passed on breakfast for the boat ride and his stomach was resentful for it). Axel bought it with a handful of the quarters he'd collected, and sat down at the Pokemon centre afterwards to let his folks know he was okay.

"Do you know where I could get a fire Pokémon?" Axel asked one of the tired-looking nurses, who recommended he journey with an adult down to Elm's labratory and enlist in their summer program.

"Yeah, but do you know where I could actually _find_ a fire pokemon around here?" Pestered Axel.

"Well that's easy," said an approaching trainer, who handed four of six pokeballs across to the Joy. "You've got your Growlithes and Vulpix's just south on Route 37, and Magmars all over the Burnt Tower, that is should the Monks let you through."

The Nurse frowned and handed the Pokeballs across to a Blissey, who processed them. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to see some ID if you're intending to catch your first pokemon around here, young man. And weapons of any sort are not allowed in these premesis, sheathed or unsheathed."

Axel placed his longsword on the counter. "Sorry, I forgot. Won't happen again. And I've got it here in my bag, just give me a second." Axel rumaged through, finding the neat slip attached to his passport. "Sixth of the Fifth. It was my birthday four weeks ago, see?"

The Nurse nodded, but didn't look very happy about it. She looked to the trainer, handing back his Pokemon. "Would you be able to-"

"Right on it," he replied with a nod. To Axel he requested; "just don't get in the way too much."

Under the watchful eye of the Joy they departed, and deigned to head up to the Burnt Tower if only to experience the tourist attraction. The trainer, a late teenager whose name Axel learnt was Kunsel, told him to leave his sword in the bush so not to scare the monks and after a brief power struggle between them Axel obeyed. After all, he didn't know anyone else in this old, cultured looking town and Axel kind of wanted to stay on his good side in case he had a Charizard.

With a few worried looks at Axel, the Monks allowed them entry, and they entred the dusty, dilapidated building.

"It's because it's a weekday, no one's here," Kunsel explained as the door opened with a creak. A Raticate instantly lunged at them and quick as a flash, the brunette trainer had a Machoke out in defence.

"Woah," Axel breathed as with a swipe of one mighty paw, Machoke had the Raticate against a wall. Gas caught in his lungs and he coughed.

"Gotta watch out, Koffings give you cancer," Kunsel joked. "No seriously, follow me down this ladder, their smoke rises upwards. I'd hoped not to give away that we were in here, but so much for that."

The underground floor was darker, only illuminated by the harsh tear in the high roof, and Axel backed behind the Machoke, concerned. From around the side a Ratata scuttled up to him and the next thing Axel knew, it was attatched to his leg.

"Ahh, get it off, get it off!"

"He can't get it off with you moving so much, kid," Kunsel groaned. But apparently the Machoke could, because he clamped a fist around Axel's leg and slapped the thing still.

"I hate Ratatas," decided Axel, exposing the fresh wound. It was only one or two centimetres deep each side, but it stung like hell.

"It was just avenging its brother," Kunsel told him, and with a second look, pulled him over. "I think you've just struck lucky."

In an ash filled corner of the drafty once-building, two sleeping forms curled. One was large, a fully grown Magmortar striped bold firey colours, the other comparatively small and red. Kunsel approached them with raised a finger to his lips, maximising a Poke ball on his belt carefully.

And then handed it to Axel.

"Me?" Axel mouthed, then shook his head rapidly. He'd hardly even held much less thrown a proper Poke ball before, and was more than convinced he'd miss.

"It's your pokemon," Kunsel whispered back. He pointed to the smaller shape again.

Axel gave him a weird look for it and leaned left, ignoring the sudden spasm of pain in his hurt leg. The Magmortar stirred, and Axel flinched for a second. Still he followed through letting go with just a bit less momentum, landing the red and white Poke Ball on top of its head.

It shook thrice, and then clicked.


	2. Arcanine Attack

The Magmortar ear twitch and it, rolled over to face the two. It then resumed its snoring.

Grin threatening to tear off the lower part of his face, Axel nabbed the Poke ball and rolled it through his palms. Kunsel gestured to the ladder and they sneaked off at a quick pace to and up it, bursting up into a chaos of stirred Pokemon laughing quietly.

"I did it, I got it, I caught it," chattered Axel excitedly, pulling out the Poke ball and dancing in a circle around the Monks.

"Congratulations," smiled Kunsel, who apologized to the Monks.

Axel skipped past them, and for the hell of it, tried a cartwheel. Kunsel laughed, watching Axel's backpack shift his weight off balance in his attempts. "I swear I was never this happy when I got my first Pokémon."

"Well I bet you didn't have to tickle a sleeping dragon to do it," Axel replied. Privately he thought _or be chased across town by men wielding swords._ "Wow, just wait until my brother hears. A proper adventure. Isn't this just so cool?"

"Okay, calm down kid. You're starting to remind me of my ADHD friend now."

After that Axel thanked Kunsel approximately fifty thousand times, and was directed down to the south route where the Growlithe and Vulpix were claimed to reside. "Only one sort at a time though, they migrate," Kunsel explained. "I'll walk you through it first, unless you're heading back home, since the Pokemon will be too tough for your young Magby."

"Yeah, about that," Axel started. "Why did you have to tell me to catch the baby one? That was so mean. I feel bad for taking it from its family like that."

Kunsel sighed. "Fully-evolved Pokemon often look like good strong team members, but most of the time they'll be feral or untamable, since they've lived all their lives in the wild. Younger Pokémon are easier to train and catch and won't feel as attached to that lifestyle. That's why evolved Pokémon are only recommended for experienced trainers. Unevolved Pokemon you get a tighter bond for your trouble, as you both grow up together."

"Oh." Axel stared down at his Pokeball, which he had yet to release his newly caught Magby from. "What do you think I should do now?"

Kunsel hummed, then in a change of face directed Machoke to take down a Stantler. Axel winced as it thudded on the grass. "If I was you," he continued on like nothing, "I'd head down south to the end of this route until you find a crossroads. From there you go East – " he pointed left. "- until you reach Blackthorn city. Rest up there the night, get used to your new Pokemon, then battle around for a bit. The Pokémon and trainers around should for the most part be around your level. If you need to train your Magby after that, you've got the type advantage over Sprout Tower. Figure out if Pokemon's your thing, if not then go home, end story."

Axel digested all of this. "And that way's East, you say?"

"That way is indeed East. Matthew, you got the— nice shot. Oh, and buy a compass little guy."

Kunsel didn't look like he was going any further. "I guess this is goodbye then." It was funny, because Axel'd never said that phrase in his life earlier and then suddenly he'd twice in one day.

"Hey, it's not forever," Kunsel smirked. "Here, I'll give you my cell in case you get lost or anything. Gotta be careful in this scary old world y'know."

Kunsel grabbed a pen and scribbled down the digits along Axel's arm. "Good luck, kid."

Axel nodded, and somewhat awkwardly, continued on down the route. Feeling somewhat paranoid, after a few paces he let out his new Magby for company, and protection. Kunsel had said there weren't any strong Pokemon around towards where the main pathways connected but Axel still didn't feel quite safe.

"Magby?" Magby questioned, turning its head bemusedly, like it had lost and was looking around for something.

"Uh, hi," said Axel, somewhat nervous. "I'm Axel."

He'd only seen his new Pokémon in the dark ashy corner, and now Axel got to see the salamander-like starter in full light. It looked about the size of a beach ball, and its smooth red skin was a lot lighter red than the new trainer remembered. It had big yellow patches on its stomach and nozzle-like snout, as well as a tail. Its neck was lined with a neat black collar and its paws had tiny silver claws. The most jarring thing about the little fire Pokémon however had to be its strained bulbous head, which look liked it had a pumpkin growing inside it.

"Your new trainer," Axel expanded, just in case.

At that the small red Pokémon perked up, and it warily began sniffing out Axel's boats, jeans, the cut he'd had bandaged up just earlier.

It seemed to come to a decision, and skittered back off away from him with an audible snort.

Not to be disheartened, Axel kneeled down and fished out the mulberries he'd packed for that evening.

Magby chewed, made a face, swallowed. "Okay then," said Axel. "I'm not sure if they're that good for you then, so..." Axel made to put the mulberries back in his backpack pocket, but Magby snatched them away. "Jeez, alright then. Just be careful, I'm not sure if there are any more Pokémon about."

Axel walked, for what felt like hours, slowly followed by the tottering fire Pokemon. The hours of the day ticked on, and Axel ran into a girl with blonde pigtails and a hoodie, flipping her hair importantly about.

"Fight me," she demanded, releasing a Politoed.

"No wait, not yet," Axel requested, scooping up his Magby. He hissed and covered his arms with his sleeves—the pokemon was red hot. "I've never fought a proper battle before, and I was hoping to have some wild pokemon practice before I versed someone.

"Our eyes met," the blonde girl loftily replied, taking out a stick of sugar-free gum. "We have to fight. You're just scared because I have better type here." Politoed dribbled, rolling his tongue.

"Actually, no," said Axel honestly. Magby was starting to burn his arms and needed to be dropped. He muttered: "Let's leg it."

They ran, Magby's little legs flopping as he tried to keep pace. The girl cried out and followed shouting after him "there's no running from a trainer battle!"

"Watch me!"

Axel sprinted, and started when he realised his fire Pokémon was no longer next to him. He ran back, scooped the Pokemon up into his arms again, scorched his unclothed hands in the process. Gum and Pigtails had nearly reached him; Axel panicked, dropped his Magby, and set down his backpack. It was just too heavy to run with; he shoved Magby in and began pulling stuff out.

He carried the rest of it, jogging for his life away from this air head to promptly run into another trainer.

"Oww." The strangely dressed blue-haired trainer raised a hand to his forehead. Axel did the same, this time being careful not to drop his stuff. He'd really gained too many injures for his liking so far on his Pokémon journey.

Gum and Pigtails caught up to them. "There you are."

"Is there a problem here?" The blue-haired boy asked her, straightening out. He was very old, Axel now saw—just not tall.

"Umm, yeah," the blonde girl caught her breath, and then continued. "That weirdo over there refused to battle me. He forfeits, so I should get half his earnings as prize money."

The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes. "What a pressing matter to chase someone for."

"Oh, so you want to fight me then wise guy? I'll take you on."

"It's not wise guy," the blue-haired trainer threw down his first Pokeball, releasing a Haunter. "It's Uryu."

The Pokemon tangled, Politoed launching out with a head-on attack and Haunter backing around it and letting lose a long lick with its tongue. The lick didn't paralyse its opponent, however and the Politoed moved to follow the wild spirit as it warped to another part of the forest clearing. "Not normal attacks, you stupid thing, use _water gun._"

Haunter reappered behind the Pokémon still searching for its opponent and Uryu commanded "Shadow Ball!" which sent a building sphere of energy rushing towards the Politoed, who couldn't dodge.

It fell, and the blonde trainer willed it back up. "Water gun, right ahead of you!"

The Politoed struck target this time, and the Haunter gasped and recoiled backwards. "Don't give up," Uryu encouraged softly. "Hypnosis."

The blonde trainer caught on. "You use Hypnosis too, Pollyanna!"

Too little too late, as Axel's dad would say. The Haunter zoned in the Politoed and finished it off with a lick to the face.

Axel had considered sneaking off in the midst of the battle but as it concluded he felt glad to stay. "I waive the right to be paid for this match," Uryu said quietly, purposely.

Gum and Pigtails tried to save face. "Well, I waive the right to put up with your company. Return, Pollyanna. And it's Elena."

She spat out her gum and stalked off, pigtails bouncing behind her.

"She totally just copied you," was all Axel could think to say. From inside his backpack, Magby trumpeted, rattling and scratching a small container. Axel opened it, allowing him the whole of the blueberries. Listening to the Pokemon chew, he made a sudden realization. "If she has no other Pokemon apart from that Politoed—and she's walking that way where there are hoards of them – she's going to get swamped!"

"By all means, save the distressed damsel," Uryu said in the monotone intellectual lilt he carried.

Axel grimaced. "I would, but I don't have any proper Pokemon. And she was kind of rude before, she might want more of her prize money from me. Do you think you would be able to?"

Uryu stared Axel down. "I only headed this way because I heard a commotion. I'm not actually headed in this direction."

"So?" Axel said. "She could die."

"I don't care," and with that the blue-haired trainer turned around, large white cape picking up the breeze around him.

Axel clicked the space in front of his Magby, distracting the fire pokemon from his heap of blueberries. "Look, I know I don't know you very well yet," Axel started, "and that this is kind of a big ask. But that girl we just saw now could be in danger, and there's no one else up to save her. Would you be willing to face some really strong Pokémon for me in order to help her?"

Magby contemplated, finished off the berries and squaked his assent. "Good. Now we go." Axel put down his backpack for the Pokemon to crawl into and set off for the road at a run.

Axel prayed that that the girl, Emelia or whatever, wouldn't reached the grassy Pokemon-infested area before he caught up to her. He really hoped. But she must've been walking at a much faster pace than he expected because before he got there he heard a frightened yell.

He ran the rest of the way. And there she was, surrounded by a pack of circling Arcanines.

"No!" Axel yelled and dived in, shooing them away from her. "What did you do to them? What did you do?"

Gum and Pigtails looked almost in tears. A long gash marred her arm. "I was just walking, and I was thinking to myself and it must've just been lying there because I stubbed my toe and trod on it then all of them started swarming on me I really didn't mean to I didn't know there were any Pokémon here."

"Calm down," Axel advised, and an Arcanine lunged at his leg. "Oh fuck, that was close." Axel could feel Magby shaking in his backpack. His heart sank. There was no way he was going up against all and winning... One Stantler maybe, but this? "How did you manage to get them so mad?"

"I stepped on their baby," Elena admitted. "I stepped on a Growlithe cub."

With that revelation the nearest Arcanine lunged, slamming the pair onto the grass and tearing into their flesh. Fear coursed through every fibre of Axel's body and he unintentionally imagined his arm becoming like the blonde girl's, his whole body ripped open to become a bloodied red sore.

His eyes caught sight of his own arm, and the numbers scrawled across it in black pen and with all his strength Axel threw the Arcanine off of on top of him and moved to the blonde girl's, internally begging for her cooperation.

"Please. Phone. Need phone." The blonde girl's dazed gaze met his own and she slipped a mangled hand into her pocket, jerking the silver contraption out onto the grass.

The Arcanines moved to tear into them again, and Axel became aware of the fact that he was going to die before help arrived and as he punched the scribbled number into the keypad he saw Magby, crawling from his backpack, standing up to face the fiery wolves.

"Hello? You got Kunsel."

"Help," Axel pleaded, coughing into the mouthpiece. "Dying. Route 37..." He choked.

"What? Who is this? Axel, is that you? Don't worry buddy I'm there to call backup I'm part of the plain-clothed police, we'll be down right away, you got that? Stay there for me buddy listen to my voice and what I'm saying just don't move."

Axel watched, as his little starter Pokemon snarled at the wolves and got knocked down onto the ground. He spat little embers of fire and raked at them with his claws, bringing little pink marks and dots of blood to their snouts.

It might have seemed stupid to anyone else at that time, but for that moment Axel truly cared about his red starter Pokémon. "You can do it," Axel whispered, tears clogging his eyes. "Move."

The Arcanine looked to be having fun dancing with this small opponent, until Magby stopped and breathed in, drawing air and letting it all out in a breath of hot smoke in an Arcanine's eye. The Pokémon drew back with a wine, hackles drawing.

They all howled then, and the hurt Arcanine let out a long stream of fire from its mouth into the grassy clearing. It caught the tree just beside Axel's head alite, and Axel watched as the flames too quickly spread up into its branches and across the grass plains, and now the Arcanines were fighting each other, fleeing, rolling amongst the leaves with their bloodied teeth beared.

The half- blinded Arcanine stayed.

This time it wasn't going to just breathe fire on the forest, it was going to do its best to kill Axel's new Pokémon with the soft steps it made against the plain ground.

Two shots rang out before it had the chance to strike.

Kunsel and four others rushed down into the clearing and their voices echoed through Axel's ears and he was being yelled at and the blonde girl wasn't moving and tears of worry trickled past his eyes.

"I left my sword in the bush, Kunsel," he kept saying aloud. "I left my sword."


	3. Rain Dance Recovery

Images faded in and out through his vision and Axel became vaguely aware of moving quickly, shifting scenes, entering a box with bright lights.

It was the last thing he remembered until morning.

Axel laid there that morning, machine beeping beside him and feeding Chansey eggs directly into his bloodstream. He didn't like the taste of eggs. All the needles sending fluid into his body felt wrong on his skin, and if he could move right then he'd be ripping them all out.

The scene replayed flittered suddenly, hauntingly, in his head and Axel couldn't help but moan.

"Axel? You awake?" Instantly a figure was at his bedside. "Awful hard bump to the head you took."

Axel tried to laugh and it hurt his chest. Reno placed a delicate hand on it.

"I've ah, got your Magby. He's good as new they say. Enjoyed sleeping in my book bag." Reno poked the lump the felt bag held, and an anxious little body yawned and climbed out. "Dad's here too, in that chair there. Was up all night. Don't wake him."

"Sword," Axel gasped. His throat was dry.

Reno grinned. "They weren't going to let you have it, but I snuck it in. It's under your bed." He stood. "I should get the Nurse."

He waited and more medical attention came. It seemed endless, like the streams of flowers and get well cards sent to his door, and eventually Axel got a chance to talk with everyone about what happened.

Except Uryu.

"You should've heard dad Renji go off at him," Reno subtly whispered when the conversation came up. "He just went nuts, used the F word and everything. Said he didn't care that Uryu couldn't have known, and that he should've been more responsible, that he was a disgrace to the Quincy people and didn't deserve to see you. It was crazy. Even Ariel looked a bit mad."

Axel didn't like to think about his mother actually caring about him. He'd gone so long without seeing her that it just felt as if she properly gave a damn for them she would've shown it in person by now, instead of just sending mail cheques and crummy birthday cards every blue moon. It made him feel guilty, to think he might've hated her when she loved them all along, but then how was he supposed to feel when he was so ignored like that?

His father returned to his work, but Reno stayed to cater to him. He said home-schooling was crap anyhow and got Axel a GameCube to play in his room, though often Axel didn't have the energy to play it. Most days in recovery Axel spent cracking cop jokes with he or Kunsel, who was quick to ignore his energetic cop friend Zack's jibes about babysitting. He got some good conversations in with Elena too.

"You're lucky you didn't all meet up at the sudowoodo crossroads," Kunsel often said, in quiet silences. "Then you would've had a fork in your path when you were running back, and you would've never been able to save Elena."

That was right. If it wasn't for Axel, Elena might've been dead. Axel had already been visited by her sister, tearful with gratitude, who begged to insist that she could never repay him enough.

Elena was let out of the hospital three days before him, but with instead of leaving she waited with Reno until Axel was given a clean bill of health by the Nursemaids. With Reno's tattoos, Axel's bandages, Elena's fresh stitches and Magby's good looks they looked more like a travelling circus than a hospital party.

"One week's bed rest on exit," Reno was quick to remind him. "So what're you going to do now? Head home and sleep it off? Continue on your Pokémon journey? Write a novella biography?"

"I just got out of shock and already you're badgering me about what I'm going to do with myself," Axel grumbled, tugging his hair back into a quick ponytail.

"Fair question, though. Dude, I totally reckon dad Renji and I should become psychics though. I mean, we fully predicted what was going to happen to you on your journey! Even weathermen can't do that.

"Why don't you call him dad Renji to his face?" Elena asked.

Axel and Reno looked at each other and burst into chuckles. "It's a family thing," Axel dismissed and they continued walking on to the park. "I swear, I've heard so much about these damn Kimino girls if I don't see a show while I'm here I'm going to break a brain cell wondering about it."

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Elena said, and they looked at her weirdly. "I mean, they are geishas you know."

Reno choked on the response he was about to say, and Axel doubled over in a fit of coughing trying not to hide his surprise.

"They are _so_ not geishas," Reno argued, and Elena rapped him on the head with her knuckles.

"So. Are."

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation!"

"I can't believe I actually considered going there," Axel contributed in a disturbed deadpan, and they all giggled conspiratorially.

Once the laughs had died down though Reno just had to sling an arm over Axel's shoulder as he sat down on the bench. "Still leaves us with the question of what we're going to do with you now, as you have yet to have made a life-altering decision about this."

"What you're going to do with me? What's that supposed to mean?" Axel asked.

Elena sat down on the other side of Axel, crossing one leg over the other as was ladylike. "It means, you thickhead, that we're sticking through with you."

"You're sticking through with me? But I don't even know your middle name!" He said to Elena, and to Reno—" I thought you were going to stay home and support dad Renji."

"But I _am_ going to stay home and support dad Renji. Awkward for you, Elena." Elena glared at him. "Just kidding."

She averted her eyes. "What I was _saying_, is that I owe you a life debt, Axel, which might not mean anything to you, but I think you're a genuinely good person. I'm not just going to let you walk away after what you did for me."

"And what you did for her," Reno continued, "is why I'm staying—because you're an idiot, and you need someone to have your back when you've got trouble. Even if I have to learn Pokemon or whatever to join your silly little gang to protect you, I will. Because at the moment, I think you need just a bit more support than our old man at home."

"Wow," said Axel, feeling genuinely touched. "Thanks guys."

"Her middle name's Maria, by the way. Her parents were Italian."

Were, huh? Axel gave a sad smile to the blonde girl. "I'm sorry."

"Forget it."

The trio laspsed into silence.

Reno broke it, obviously. "Have you decided yet? Or less majorly, do you know what you're going to nickname your Magby?"

"I don't even know what gender my Magby is," Axel acknowledged laughingly, and the aforementioned Pokémon squeaked in indignance.

"Oooh, call it Maggie! Or Mable."

"No way," Axel countered, wrinkling his nose.

"Your Magby's a dude, dude," revealed Reno.

"How do you know?" Axel asked.

"Elena's iDex told me."

"Oh." Axel curled onto his seat. "Maybe I should name Magby after Elena, then."

"No way, you're going to give it her name after her after she almost killed you? Shunned."

Axel frowned a bit, wishing his brother didn't always take things so far. "Maybe you should change it a little, so it doesn't get confusing," Elena quietly offered. "Elena is a girl's name, after all."

"Lee?" suggested Reno.

Axel mocked-gagging. "No way, there's that heaps evil dude in our home schooling class called Lee. Not if it was the last name on the planet." He thought. "Bruce Lee's cool, though."

"You are not calling that Magby Bruce," Reno warned. "Or Blee, Glee or any variant thereof."

"But Lea is such a cool name though," Axel whined back.

"It does kind of suit him," Elena agreed.

"Guys, Lea is a total girl's name!"

"Go away," Axel recommended, and put on the Magby-carrying leather gloves Reno had bought him to pick up the freshly named Magby. "You like the name too, don't you Lea?"

Lea nodded, his little pumpkin head rocking and threatening to bowl him over.

"So there. Get lost." Reno grumbled to himself, mentioning something about going to get some lunch and stalking off.

Axel and Elena were left sitting next to each other on the bench seat, legs swinging. If they were older, Axel thought, maybe their feet would've touched the ground.

"Forget what I said in front of Reno, I won't follow you anywhere if you don't want it," said Elena. "I know how selfish I was acting the night everything happened... I just wanted some quick money to pay back what I owed to my foster parents, and I was angry at myself for wasting my own money in the first place. I'll understand if you don't want me to go places with you."

"Of course I'll let you go places with me. I need all the friends I can get." Axel grinned, remembering how he'd pestered his Mahogany town friends to skip their Pokemon journeys to wait until he turned ten so could join them. They hadn't been keen on a non-trainer companion then either. "Except I'm not so sure I want to continue on adventuring for now after that awful start. I think I might continue on once I get word from Kunsel that the A-Arcanine have been replaced by the migrating Vulpix and Ninetales."

"Oh. Well are you going to go home then?"

Axel made a face. "I've been stuck in that hole for a whole decade already. I wouldn't return there now for the life of me."

Elena shook her head sadly and pulled her feet up onto the seat."I still find it so weird you don't use phones there. What do you do if someone tries to hold the town up?"

Axel remembered the antenna-tree that had taken up residence beside the general store in his primary school years. "I think you can get like reception from the main street, just not anywhere else around there. Not sure about the Lake of Rage."

"Pretty sad about the Pokémon Centre, though," Elena refuted.

"Mmm." It was still weird to see such an advanced hospital and Pokémon centre over here, actually, and a Police Station to boot. Despite their old Mayor's lobbying they didn't have any of that stuff back home, and it didn't look like it was cropping up anytime in the near future. Dad Renji always settled the town disagreements when there was any, and the little old home-cure herb tea shop lady with the Delibird healed all maladies general store medication or the Pokémon centre hospitilzation couldn't fix. That was the way it had always been.

"Can you really use a sword?" Elena asked.

"Can I use a sword? Can _I_ use a sword. Really, can _you_ spell your name?" Axel scoffed. "I was the town fencing champion for two years running."

Reno reappeared. "I think you're starting to confuse you with me."

Axel folded his arms at him, remembering the first year he'd won, Reno covering up the win as a tie out of shame. He'd won fair and square and then Reno just had to go act like a bad sport about it.

Reno stuck out his tongue knowingly, ruining any credibility his 'tie' claim might have once held, and angrily Axel kicked for his leg, prompting an odd game of footsies. They spent the rest of the afternoon chasing each other around the park while Axel somewhat sulked. Elena passed, saying she was too mature for such a kids game like that, and later that evening they dragged her over to the ghost gym where they watched the hired trainers fight.

It was weird, seeing ghosts battle, because half the time you couldn't actually see them and most their wins tended to stem from cheap tricks rather than brute strength. This brunette chick with a long braid falling all down her back got absolutely _crushed_ by Morty and ran out of the place in tears, Poke balls clutched to her chest. It was sadistic and it delighted in it, and it made Axel want to pick at the scabs beneath his bandages with his nerves.

"I'm definitely versing Falkener first," Axel decided once it was time to pack up shop for the day, and rather than pay the expensive Pokémon centre hotel fees they deigned to head east to Route 42 to camp, listening to the Hoothoot hoot and the Kriketot chirp. It was a stupid idea to Reno, who maintained they'd already just got in trouble by staying too long in a Route with dangerous Pokémon, but the rest route guy who'd heard about what happened said he'd watch over them, as there was little to do on night patrol anyway.

It sucked though, because Axel and Reno had to share a sleeping bag, as Reno had only been using a hospital blanket the week round. Axel still had his injuries, too. They had a nice warm campfire going because of Lea, who opted to sleep in Axel's backpack, which the route guy told them would ward off most dangerous Pokémon. Even still Axel had his sword strapped to his side in his sleep, and when he awoke he had a nice good cramp down the side of his leg where he'd been sleeping on it.

"You look like a mummy," giggled Elena sleepily as Axel peeled off his under shirt to reveal a layer of thick bandeges, and Axel made for offence.

"Yeah, well you look like a Caterpie in that thing." Elena just laughed, rolling on her stomach to fetch her shoulder bag of stuff, and Reno yawned and stretched.

"Is it morning already? Pass," Axel poked him in the stomach. "I said pass, runt."

Axel grinned maliciously. "You can't pass anymore, you're a trainer now. And trainers get up at Spearow's fart." He shook Reno out of the sleeping bag and the elder redhead ground, exposed to the morning chill.

"You're both insane, you know," he commented and Axel got Lea relighting the evening fire for breakfast. "Totally batshit."

"You said the s word!" gasped Elena. Axel snorted. "Well sorry mister Accustomed to Course Language, my family never swears. Oh, but hey, Reno is a trainer now. We have to get him initiated with all the starter stuff."

"I don't want to be a trainer though," complained Reno. He stood up, moving off towards the river. "And all that starter stuff's a load of crap."

Elena hummed, like she hadn't heard him, or wasn't watching him as he returned with a squirming fish. "It's a shame Axel wants to head to Violet. They've got some great department stores in Goldenrod, made exactly for this sort of thing."

"Made exactly for every sort of thing, I bet," snarked Axel, who was perfectly happy with his one-shop suits all Mahogany standard when it came to clothes shopping.

Elena stood and huffed. "Boys! You can never please them. Oh look, and there's another one."

A boy about Reno's age or older was approaching the Ecruteak river bank at a startling pace. He walked ashore, leaning over getting his puff back then checking his Pokedex. "An hour and fourty five. Not bad, by my standards." He let out a little laugh, and a long breath.

The water got squeezed out of his matted dark hair and his eyes raised to catch sight of the others anot-toop-far off campsite. "Hey," he said in approach. "Any of you guys trainers that feel like battling?"

Axel and Elena exchanged a glance and Lea crawled into Axel's backpack in hiding.

"Yeah," said Axel. "She is. Good effort swimming all that way though, I wouldn't do that if they paid me."

The friendly swimmer laughed. "Fat chance of that happening. I've been trying to raise a sponsor for three years now and there's still been no takers. I guess the public just likes watching Pokémon go head to head more than people." He turned to Elena. "Mind if we take this battle elsewhere, so not to trash all your stuff?"

Elena nodded, collecting her Politoed's Pokeball. Reno and Axel shared a glance, then followed her over.

"Can it be one on one?" Elena asked, throwing her hair off over her shoulder to concentrate. "Like, all of my other Pokémon are in my PC box right now."

Reno raised an eyebrow at the blonde girl for the lie, but the dripping swimmer seemed to miss it. "Sure. Go, Quagsire."

"Pollyanna." The ball bounced back up from the ground to land in Elena's outstretched palm and Axel grinned. This was going to be good.

Neither Pokémon moved to begin with, and tactically the swimmer called out "Amnesia!" to utilize that position.

"Body Slam, now Polly," ordered Elena. The Politoed threw its smaller weight at the blue Pokémon, landing it directly in the stomach and interrupting its building defence.

"Stick it with a close mud shot!" The trainer commanded, but the slippery green frog darted through its legs and out of the way. "Again!"

This time there was no escape from the barrage of mud and it landed Politoed right in the face, pushing it under and into a mud pile.

"Pollyanna!" called Elena worriedly. The Quagsire was approaching fast, and could easily crush the green frog with its weight.

"Get it to use a water attack," Reno advised from over her shoulder. "It will thin out the mud and your Politoed'll be able to escape."

Elena's expression faltered. "Polly, water gun, quick."

The Politoed unstuck itself just before the swimming trainer directed a massive Slam into where it once lay.

"C'mon, c'mon," Elena muttered to herself, tapping on Pollyanna's Poke ball. "Wait. Politoed, Rain Dance!"

"Elena, I'm not sure-" Axel started, thinking that the Rain Dance would heighten Quagsire's water abilities.

The other trainer obviously thought better of it too, and commanded his Quagsire to get close and fire a strong Water Pulse.

As Elena seemed to be expecting, the heavy Pokémon slipped on the watery mud, allowing the nimble Politoed to get up close behind and finish it with a Doubeslap.

The other trainer returned his Pokémon, and cheerfully stepped forward to shake Elena's hand.

"Good thing you don't have your whole team here, or I mightn't've had any Pokémon to walk back with!" the swimmer laughed, piecing out a bunch of water saturated bills from his wallet compartment.

"No, I'm sure that wouldn't have happened," Elena denied, reddening as she pocketed the soggy notes. "You're a really strong trainer."

"Just as you must be, seeing as you beat me. Ciao guys." Axel waved, and got up close to hassle the blonde Politoed trainer.

"What was that all about?" he demanded as Reno kneeled to gut his fish.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Reno, eyes shadowed. "Elena liked him a little more than the rest of us."

"Oh shut up," the girl chastened, returning her Politoed face red. "He was just nice, alright?"

"What?" asked Axel bemusedly. Lea crawled over and up his back.

"Elena has the hots for swimmer boy," Reno explained, delicate as ever.

"No it's not that, Axel I—"

There was a silence. Axel fidgeted, staring into the crackling fire. "Oh. That's what you mean."


	4. Violet Vacation

"Umm," he continued worriedly, looking over to Elena. "You know I didn't save you because I have a crush on you, right? I was just worried you might get hurt. In case you were wondering."

Reno made a pained sound and put down the knife he was wielding. "You two," he said, gesturing with his hands. "Are going to drive me batshit. I have to pee. Work it out."

Left in the tense after silence, Axel sat down to cook the fish. Out of the corner of his eye he spied a different rest route guy standing on guard, watching them bored.

"Elena, why are you a trainer?" Axel finally asked. "You don't like people, you don't like Pokemon and you don't seem to like battling. Why do it?"

Elena sobered, and sat down beside him. Lea hooted softly. "I was wary of battling for a long time," she admitted, curling her feet up to her chest. "My parents were always talking about how disgusting and dishonourable forcing Pokémon to hurt each was, as animal rights advocates who saw the long-term effects it could have on them mentally as well as physically. Then one day they were mauled to death by a pair of angry Rhydon, and my sister Cissnei and I were left orphaned. She really found it hard to cope. Wouldn't even go outside for awhile, she always needed a nightlight on to sleep and stuff. The head of our orphanage, Wally, bought her Pollyanna mostly to appease her fears and to make her see Pokémon aren't all bad.

"But it just got a bit much after awhile, because with what happened she never really got past over the whole 'Pokémon are killers' thing. She spent every waking moment with Pollyanna, but treated her so badly... You have to understand. We didn't even have parents back then, or anyone proper to look after us. I knew that she just had to get over her stupid fear if she ever wanted to live life in the real world, but she'd never get over it unless I went and proved something.

I had this perfect idea in my head. I could make Pollyanna strong but docile, run the gym circuit, get a lot of money and then maybe she'd come around and see that Pokémon as friends had their perks. If I proved to her the world was as useful as I thought then maybe she might come around and see that there was nothing truly evil out there."

"But the accident..."

"Yeah." Elena laughed bitterly. "Not very good at proving a point, am I? It's stupid, I bet there are loads of trainers who have walked back though that route with no Pokémon heaps of times without hassle. But I get the baby Growlithe in my path. It came as a bit of a shock, and now I'm starting to think that with how I made everything worse for my sister I should just give up and hope she grows past it on her own. What with all the news readings about deaths and statistics, for most people training is easily way to unsafe. Cissnei doesn't want me to leave again, you know."

"Yeah," said Axel, thinking of Reno.

Elena's pokegear beeped. "It's for you," she said, handing over the bright smartphone. Her hand had healed nicely, though her thumb was sprained and her index finger needed eight stitches.

"Hello?" Axel asked, frowning when he received no response.

"It's a text message," Elena giggled.

"Oh." Axel tapped the screen, and a message from Kunsel appeared.

From nowhere, Reno waltzed up. "You guys alright now?" He asked brightly, slinging an arm over Axel's shoulder. "Kunsel huh? Kinky."

"He says the Ninetales have moved into route 36 early because of all that happened before. So we can head off to Violet city right now, if that's what we feel like."

"Well I know that's what I feel like," Reno asserted. "Elena?"

She shrugged. "I got all my sightseeing done when you were still in hospital. We really should get you certified as a trainer now though, Reno."

"Aww, seriously?" said Reno, who hated to be stuck inside. "Can't we just get it done in Violet?"

"No," said Elena, putting her foot down. "If we go down the route now and you don't have Trainer ID on you then we all could be fined."

"But that like, never happens," whined Reno. "What are the chances?"

One visit back to the Poke Centre later and Reno had a laminated ID card with his name on it and a red Pokedex.

"I can't believe they make you pay 20.50 for that piece of junk," complained Elena, as they marched off for the route below. "Those things aren't even sold in Goldenrod. They tell you that Pidgeots fly at Match 2 speed."

"Really? Cool."

_"She's right you know," _chirped the Pokedex.

"And you can't turn off the speech synthesis function, which gets so quickly frustrating."

"Yeah?" said Reno. "What's your Pokedex like then?"

Elena smirked. "I have the iDex 4s, which supports video messaging and holographic technology. It's got radar, Bluetooth and free internet that feeds the latest scientific Pokémon discoveries and media problems right to the homescreen. You jealous?"

Reno muttered something intelligible about processing data Pokémon by Pokémon and put his new handheld away. Axel patted Reno on the back reminding him that he'd never even had a Pokedex, and Elena stopped, catching sight of the 'Leaving Ecruteak City' sign.

"Are you guys sure you want keep going without some sort of adult?" Elena asked.

Reno patted his belt. "We've got our swords, and you've got Politoed. We'll be fine."

"If you're sure..." Axel couldn't help but face the route path in tredepation himself, hand automatically curling around his longsword's hilt. If anything happened he'd slash them to pieces, throw all his pokeballs, and run the hell out of there.

"Kunsel's still at work. And I already texted him back to let him know we're leaving now," Axel remembered, taking the first step across the threshold.

"Yeah," said Reno, swalling as he took step beside them. "We're trainers now. We don't need watchdogs."

Elena released Pollyanna, and from out of the bush beside them trotted a Stantler. It didn't attack however, content to graze through the charred grass around them. They continued walking, and a small Pidgey chirped; Axel recognised the scene. In his mind's eye, he lay trapped beneath an old oak, watching the snarling beasts swarm around him. "Let's go this way," he offered, pointing out the left alternative path beside them. "Less memories."

The other two didn't ask which, but just glanced at each other and followed him into the next clearing, where the path made a long curve into another area. They walked until they reached its stop, and carefully climbed down a tall ledge.

"Man, that thing would be so deadly if you weren't looking where you were going," Reno noted.

"Hey, look ahead, a wild orchid," said Elena. "How pretty."

Lea scampered ahead, obviously hoping to sink his teeth into some wildberries, but Axel stopped him. "They could be poisonous," he reminded. "Look, these aren't even fruit trees, these things are as hard as nuts. Go on, feel them."

"Apricorns," explained Reno, moving to pull Lea off a tree branch and hissing as he scalded himself on the Pokémon's skin. The little Magby trumpeted. "Yeah, I hate you."

"What can you use them for?" asked Axel, who had never seen them.

Reno shrugged. "They're some dude south who crafts them into Pokeballs, but keeping them just for that is kind of pointless. I think they use them in Soul Candy? Anyway, let's leave them now."

Elena made a disssapointed sound. "But they're so pretty!" She forced all of them, admist groans and moans, to take a picture under it with her phone. It looked okay in the end, like they had Christmas lights winding all around them, but Axel had his eyes shut.

"I can't help it," Axel complained as Reno moved to smack him for it. "It's fine, just don't take another."

"Alright, alright." Elena held up the palms of her hands in innocence.

They spent most of the day walking to Violet, Elena's Politoed knocking off any and all Vulpix they met. Elena pestered Axel to catch one, but he wasn't sure it would feel right to him, since Pollyanna was doing most the fighting against them in place of Lea. He'd come back later, he told them.

"Yeah, you've got enough burns on your arms for the time being anyway," Reno pointed out.

Eventually the second path closed in to meet up with the main path, and after some great length they found a sign propped up advising them about using Dig in caves.

"That's so useful since we're actually in a cave right now," Axel said. What a stupid sign. He felt the urge to kick it over.

"Which direction now?" Asked Reno, tilting his head towards the three ways they could go.

Elena shrugged. "They all met up in the same place when I was walking through. You just have to remember to go the right way when you reach the Sudowoodo crossroads, since there are no signs."

Axel snorted. "You'd think they'd put some of their Dig Information signs towards showing you the right way to go."

They met another trainer, dark-haired dressed in thick furs who didn't seem to be in the mood to battle them, brushing straight past without once meeting their eyes.

Finally they reached the crossroads. Reno asked Elena if she was sure it was left about ninety times before they actually went left, and the walk East was expectant, until they reached the plaque which marked the North entrance of the Ruins of Alph.

"I've always wanted to go there," commented Elena as they passed. "It's growing a bit late now though."

Indeed, the sun was slipping just off the west edge of the sky, and only one trainer actually challenged them as they made towards Violet city.

He was an older man, completely bald, with white wrinkled lips and a wispy grey beared that floated off of his chin like smoke. "That's a Tower monk," Elena whispered, and when Axel didn't bow in greeting along with him, she nudged him. "Pay some respect."

Axel bowed shortly, belatedly, and with narrowing eyes the monk pointed, and curled a finger towards him. "May we battle?"

"Umm, if you want. Sir." The old man's frail hand moved to his belt, and from it he brought out a weathered-looking Poke Ball.

From it emerged a Pokémon with twin leaves for arms, and a light brown vine for a spine. It reminded Axel of wind chimes because of the large bell which made up its head.

"Lea, fight him," Axel directed, and the lizard-like Magby crawled out from the inside of Axel's backpack, jumping down in obedience. "But don't umm, use fire. That might be bad."

Lea gave Axel an exasperated look and charged towards the Bellsprout. It dodged, taking root in the ground to continue its synthesial growth, and when Magby lashed out on it the cut didn't slice clean through.

"Jump!" Axel ordered as the grass Pokemon brandished a vine in its direction. "Quick, what other moves do you have..."

Lea looked up at Axel helplessly while Elena started a search on her phone."Smog, leer, ember at seven and smokescreen at ten," she listed as the young Magby was whipped in the face with an extended vine.

"Go on, use smog!" Axel encouraged, and Lea seemed to look to himself for the power for a long moment.

Seconds later, the four trainers were enveloped in a thick gas that burned their lungs and sent them moving off the field to cough. When the smoke cleared, Lea stood triumphant over the fainted Bellsprout, and Axel gave him a pat on the back. "Good job there. Just a little less... potent... next time." Elena had rushed to help the elderly monk, who was coughing up a lung.

"So you won your first battle," observed Reno.

Axel didn't reply. He couldn't help but think that his first true battle was against the Arcanines, and that more than anything he had lost.

"Will you be okay getting to where you need to go?" Elena inquired as the Monk handed Axel a few small notes and sent him off on his way. He said yes.

They continued on to Violet city, which reached them just as the sun slipped below the westerly trees.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't really feel like camping tonight," Elena said.

They slept in the Pokémon centre with help of Axel's winning fares.

The sun glared thickly at them the next morning, like waking up early was a just cause for punishment. Axel scowled at the flip flops he'd worn into the shower and marched into the hallway, Lea falling quickly in pace behind. Once they'd all wolfed down an-aeroplane food quality centre breakfast Axel got them hurried out of there, just for Reno to fall behind with a hand to his stomach.

"What's wrong now?" Axel demanded, a whiff of smoke catching his nose as an older guy out for a beather exhaled. "Could you put that out please?"

"I ain't doing jack shit for nobody " said the trainer, flipping back a fringe of dark hair. He had a pressed leather jacket, which he grounded a tight fist into as he put out his ciggarette and stumped the butt on the ground. "That bother you?"

Axel opened his mouth to offer a witty retort but at that moment Reno doubled over and puked on their shoes, sending both parties into gross exclamations.

"The eggs dissagreed with me," the thin redhead replied, and Axel stepped out of his shoes to vacate the puddle rapidly, hand on his nose.

"These Vans cost me _fifty bucks_," seethed the leathered dude, who ripped a Poke ball off his belt in outrage. "Slipknot, end them."

Slipknot just happened to be a Fearow, who rushed at their heads cawing with his talons outstretched. Of course, the pissed biker dude couldn't just get a normal pokemon that was slightly dazed and disoriented by the early morning rise like Lea was.

Axel ducked. Reno whipped his sword out, and thwapped the Fearow out cold with the blunt side of his blade.

"Douche," accused the biker guy, returning his Pokemon. "What are you pulling, dragging a sword like that around? They're not toys, kid."

"Neither are Pokemon," countered Axel.

Reno wiped the puke off his mouth, stepped forward, and bransidhed his sword ferociously. "Why don't you fight things yourself, dude, like a real man?"

"Swordfighting? Are you for real? Oh wow," the guy laughed. "Yeah, not happening kid. Go back to dark ages, and take your putrid puddle of vomit back with you." Biker guy stomped off, and Reno resheathed his sword.

"Why doesn't he go back to the yellow pages, and take his ugly shoes back with him," Axel finally called. "What a massive ass."

"I'm so glad Elena went to the bathroom when she did," Reno reflected.

Axel huffed. "Dude, you got vomit on the combat boots I lent you for today."

"So? They were my boots first." Axel rolled his eyes and the pair made their way towards the Poke Mart, where they obtained two full heals one super potion and three regular-standard potions.

"But-" complicated Reno, eyeing a glass case of pristine ultra balls.

"But nothing. We already have poke balls. C'mon, let's go already." Reno grumbled but eventually obliged, pulled out the door by an impatient Axel.

They wandered south to Route Twenty four, except for Reno who got distracted by the sight of a far off Pokeball.

"It's probably broken," said Axel, tired of distractions. "Just leave it."

"But sometimes they have items in them!" argued Reno, who often refused to see reason.

"Or small bombs. Or syringes. But no that's fine, I'm not looking out for your welfare or anything like that. I'll just go train by myself in the woods then," needless to say, Axel was in a thoroughly morbid mood. He smashed his poke ball on the ground, rereleasing Lea, who made the pokemon varient of a frightened 'eep' sound. "Don't you think you can get away with just cowering behind me today, Lea. These lowlifes are in your league. So we're going to bust ass this morning and we're going to bust it badly."


End file.
